If you haven’t already fallen in love with Shailene Woodley, her latest cause might change your mind. The budding young star, who will be playing the lead in the upcoming adaptation of John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars, is chopping off her long brown hair in order to assume the part of Hazel Grace Lancaster – the book’s cancer-stricken protagonist. Woodley will be donating the hair to the Children With Hair Loss Organization and to support the cause by using the hashtag #hairforhazel and #itgrowsback to follow her progress and submit their own hair-cutting experiences

Shailene Woodley, The Descendants Premiere
Woodley has put a lot of thought into the decision.

. By way of explaining her reasoning behind the bold decision, Shailene wrote on her Tumblr: “John green (author of T.F.I.O.S.), wyck godfrey (producer of the film), and i all decided that this could be a beautiful opportunity to rally the troops of mankind and ask for some warriors to help contribute to the cause. any of you have 8 inches of hair to spare?”

Shailene Woodley, Comic-Con 2013
The actress urged fans of the book to join in as well.

She also explained the reasons behind growing her long locks in the first place (and cutting them off in the end): “Was it because of my obsession with pocahontas as a child? kind of. was it because of my admiration of native american culture? maybe. was it because of my kneading desire to dodge the chemical smell of salon lairs? oh yes. after much thought and curiosity surrounding the subject, i finally came to the conclusion that hair, for me, was a symbol of strength. it was a symbol of commitment to my power. of connection to my ancestry. of recognizing my natural beauty.”

Shailene Woodley, The Spectacular Now Screening
Woodley has been going her hair for several years now.

The full tumblr post is nothing short of fascinating and deserves a read through. Meanwhile, at the time of writing this article, Woodley has already said goodbye to her long ponytail and so have hundreds of people across the country, all in support of Children With Hair Loss and similar organizations. A picture of Woodley’s hair-cutting escapade was posted by John Green on his personal Tumblr yesterday (Saturday, August 18.)

Shailene Woodley, MTV Movie Awards
The actress coordinated her decision with director Wyck Godfrey and TFioS author John Green.